Linda Alonzo Saenz, who serves on three committees for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, has enjoyed the event since she was a girl

By Sarah Rufca |
March 20, 2014

Linda Alonzo Saenz serves on the Ladies' Go Texan Committee, the Go Tejano Committee and in the History Live program, part of the Speakers Committee, for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Photo By Dave Rossman/Freelance

Kristi Schiller, who is photographed with guard dogs Daisy and Johnny Cash, is the Founder and Chair of K9s4COPs and will be featured in Houston Gives for her charity work on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, in Houston. ( Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle )

Mariachi groups compete in Mariachi Invitational 2013, which is one of many Go Tejano Day activities, where two groups will perform during the final before the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Concert at Reliant Stadium on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008, in Houston. ( Mayra Beltran / Houston Chronicle )

"I didn't want to put it off," said Saenz. "I knew if I waited for a better time, I'd be 87 years old and still waiting."

Saenz, a graduate of the University of Houston, has taught pre-K and kindergarten for the Houston Independent School District for 27 years. Now she's a member of three rodeo committees. In addition to working on the Ladies' Go Texan Committee (in which volunteers serve as "show ambassadors" at educational exhibits), she has served as the senior vice chair of the Go Tejano Committee since 2012. Saenz also portrays Elizabeth Johnson Williams, known as the cattle queen of Texas, in her role as a character in the History Live program, part of the Speakers Committee.

"I talk to a lot of people, and they say, 'How can you do that?' because I'm on three committees. It takes a lot of time, so you have to talk to your family first and make sure you have everything covered. I've been really lucky," said Saenz.

Saenz estimates she spends nearly 600 hours a year volunteering for the rodeo. She also teaches Sunday school at her church and is active in the Tejano Association for Historical Preservation. She credits a supportive husband (who also volunteers for the rodeo on the Transportation Committee), kids who understand because they love the rodeo and extended family members who have stepped up throughout the years to help with baby-sitting when Saenz and her husband had volunteer commitments.

The Go Tejano Committee, in particular, is active year-round, with a calendar of fundraising events that includes a fashion show, a scholarship gala, a mariachi invitational, a golf tournament and a volunteer-staffed diner inside the rodeo grounds.

It's a worthwhile cause for Saenz, who says her memories growing up at the rodeo form a big part of her identity as a Houstonian.

"I remember going to the parade downtown the year that Chuck Conners, who was on 'The Rifleman,' was the grand marshal. It was a major deal, and all of us dressed up, me and my cousins and my aunts," Saenz said. "On 'The Mickey Mouse Club' they used to dress up in little red outfits with red pants and red vests with fringe. I just had to have one, and I wore it to the rodeo every year. My parents didn't have a lot of money, but they would save so we could go."

As senior vice chairman of Go Tejano, a 300-person committee, Saenz oversees three vice chairmen for administration and accounting, guiding and helping them pull off successful events. She says her knack for scheduling and organization comes from her many years as a teacher. Last year, the Go Tejano Committee raised enough money to award 28 scholarships, for $18,000 each, to students from the Houston area.

"It's important to find something that you really, really like and are committed to, and I can't think of a better commitment than one where all we do is raise money for scholarships," said Saenz.